I&B Ministry
MIB issued licence to ZMCL; Leader, Turner and Zee ME among five cancelled last month, nine allowed as per court orders
MUMBAI: In all, the number of private satellite TV channels having valid permission in India as of 30 September, 2017, are 877. Of these, the number of permitted news and current affairs channels is 388, according to data provided by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB).
In fact, the total number of permissions granted to private satellite TV channels so far is 1098, of which 221 permissions have been cancelled so far.
Last month, MIB issued one and cancelled five licences. The solitary permission granted was to Zee Media Corporation Ltd (ZMCL), to launch Zee Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand.
The channels licences of which were revoked are — Leader Television and Entertainment’s Leader TV, L And C Media’s SS Entertainment, Turner International India’s TCM Turner Classic Movies, Vyjayanthi Televentures’ Mayabazar and Zee Cinema Middle East.
Of the 877 channels, nine have been cancelled by the MIB but are running following orders from the courts of law. These are —
1. Punjab Today
2. STV Jammu-Kashmir News
(Earlier STV – Marathi News)
3. STV Haryana News
4. STV UP News (STV-Rajasthan)
(Earlier STV Bihar-Jharkhand News)
5. Mahuaa Media Private News
Uplinking 03-03-2016*
6. Mahuaa News
Mahuaa Media Private Limited
News
Uplinking 03-03-2016*
7. First India (earlier, Mahuaa Khobor)
Mahuaa Media Private Limited
News
Uplinking 03-03-2016*
8. Mahua Music (Mahuaa News Line)
(Uttar Pradesh /Uttrakhand)
[earlier Mahuaa Bangla]
Mahua Media Private Limited
Non-news
Uplinking 03-03-2016*
9. Mahuaa Movies
Mahuaa Media Private Limited
Non-news
Uplinking 03-03-2016*
The total number of TV channels permitted for uplinking from India, and downlinking into India is 778, of which 368 are new channels, and the remainder is the number of non-news channels.
The number of TV channels permitted for uplinking from India but not permitted to downlink in India is 16, of which five are news channels. And, the number of TV channels permitted to only downlink into India (uplinked from aboard) is 83, of which 15 are news channels.
I&B Ministry
AIDCF moves TDSAT over Waves plan to stream linear TV channels
Industry body flags regulatory gap as OTT push sparks broadcast turf war
NEW DELHI: The battle between traditional television distributors and digital platforms has found its way to the courts, with the All India Digital Cable Federation (AIDCF) moving the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) against Prasar Bharati’s latest OTT play.
At the heart of the dispute is Waves, Prasar Bharati’s OTT platform, which has invited applications to onboard linear satellite TV channels. Aidcf, which represents multi-system operators (msos), argues that this move sidesteps existing broadcasting rules and risks tilting the playing field in favour of digital platforms.
The federation’s petition hinges on a key provision in the Uplinking and Downlinking Guidelines, 2022. Clause 11(3)(f) allows broadcasters to downlink channels only if they provide signal decoders to recognised distribution platforms such as MSOS, DTH operators, hits operators and iptv platforms. OTT platforms, aidcf points out, do not feature on that list.
In simple terms, AIDCF’s argument is this: if OTT platforms are not officially recognised distributors, they should not be receiving broadcast signals in the first place. By inviting channels onto Waves, the federation claims, Prasar Bharati is opening a backdoor that lets broadcasters bypass long-standing rules.
The concern goes beyond legal interpretation. Aidcf says OTT platforms currently operate without a clear regulatory framework, allowing them to expand into traditional broadcasting territory without the compliance burden that cable and satellite operators must carry. That, it argues, creates an uneven contest.
There is also a warning for broadcasters. If they provide signal decoders to an OTT platform like Waves, they could risk breaching the very conditions under which their downlinking permissions were granted.
For its part, Prasar Bharati’s Waves initiative is positioned as a step towards wider access and digital reach, bringing linear television into the streaming era. But critics say the move blurs the line between regulated broadcasting and largely unregulated streaming.
The matter is expected to come up before tdsat next week. The outcome could do more than settle a single dispute. It may help define how India regulates the fast-merging worlds of television and OTT, where the lines are getting fuzzier by the day and the stakes, sharper than ever.
